Guess I’ m all about the men this week, first Michael Phelps and now Mark Curry. I gushed about Michael Phelps and I’ve never met him, I’ve met Mark Curry on a few occasions and I have got to say he is a beautiful man.

Just looking at him I’m sure many ladies would like to put him on their cornflakes and eat him with a spoon, but aside from his 6′6″ frame, handsome face and obvious great sense of humor. He is also very graceful, down to earth and kind.  We always clown around when he’s on the show but today was special because he was here to do a benefit at Tommy T’s tonight but it’s at the same time I’m in Oakand doing a comedy night at Maxwell’s. Off-the-air he asked if I was MC-ing and not only offered encouragement and some pointers but even offered to write some material for me. This last offer I found extremely generous. I was too overwhelmed to take him up on it but it’s given me an extra boost of confidence for getting up on that stage tonight.

The back story is: I used to do stand-up at the beginning of my radio career and at one point it got to the fork in the road late nights in comedy clubs or early morning on the radio because the two could not keep up any longer for me.  I chose radio because it was paying the bills. I’ve dabbled in stand up since then but that’s it. Anyway, it’s something I’ve always loved so I’m trying to ease my way back into it. I don’t have a specific goal or agenda with this, just trying to do something that I like to do when I have the time. I love radio but I often have more to say than our format and time will allow so I like stand-up because it gives me another outlet and a live audience. Part of me was wondering if I could even do this anymore but today’s encouragement has given me the green light to press on. Thanks Mark Curry, not only are you a gentleman, you are generous!

I don’t know many people that start a sentence that way, except maybe in their heads. It’s in my head today because someone I consider to be a good friend told me they are moving away at the end of the month. We’re friends so of course I wish her the best. I’ll go so far to say that in my heart of hearts I think this move will bring her fun and success beyond her wildest dreams and yet a little piece of me says “but”.

I think this is a common experience between friends or even siblings when one is taking a step that leaves the other behind…new jobs, promotions, weddings, babies etc. Even though we wish our friend or sibling the best there’s a little piece of us that has that nagging “but”. The but generally amounts to “I wish things didn’t have to change.”

Back to my case, I wish my friend more happiness than her heart can hold. I know she’s had a rough patch for a bit so I know a change of scenery will be good. Yet, I haven’t made many friends here so part of me is not only sad to see her leaving but sad for the loss of her immediate presence. Sure we’ll talk on the phone and visit when we can but it’s not the same as being able to take off for lunch or hang out at a festival. I’ll even admit there’s probably a twinge of jealously at all the cool adventures she’ll have without me. This is just human nature, the yin and yang of things. I don’t remember much about high school science but I do remember one of the laws : For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.  I also don’t remember what that applies to specifically but I apply it to life. Just look at the crowds in any casino…while somone is hitting the jackpot, someone is crapping out!

Anyway, to my friend I wish you an abundance of health, wealth and happiness and ask that you please forgive my selfish little “but”.

I have to admit something un-American. In recent years, I have let my interest in the Olympics wain.  It’s become like the drugstore…I’ll go when I need something. Well I needed something this time and his name is Michael Phelps.  Obviously I am not alone. The ratings for this Olympics ,even with the time difference and all the ways you can see it besides TV, have been great! However, you have to admit that most have been tuning in to see if Michael would break Mark Spitz’s record. He did and we cheered and those of us with two X chromosomes (and some with a Y) took some time out to shamelessly check out the merchandise.  I hate to admit it, but what he’s selling I’m buying.  What’s he selling? In my opinion good ol’ fashioned American sex appeal. You know the wholesome guy next door. You know the guy that back in the day threw the paper or mowed your parent’s lawn or was the high school quarterback . The good-looking-( but didn’t really know it which made him that much more appealing) guy.  One of the boys who’s loved by the girls because down deep he’s a good guy. Popular as he is, it’s not going to his head. He’s the hometown hero that still says please and thank-you and holds the door open for ladies.

Now before I go any further with this let me state for the record I don’t know Michael Phelps, save for pictures and interviews. I  have never met him or anybody that has met him so part of my musings are just that. It’s the impression that I get of him with some of my personal fantasy heaped on.  I’m sure he has flaws like the rest of us and the media will find them and splash them across every tabloid in the supermarket. However, for just a little while longer I would like to bask in the golden glow of his 8 medals and remember a time when sex appeal wasn’t all style with no substance. I’m sure the day is coming that he’ll hit Hollywood with his posse and there’s a You Tube video of him locking lips or worse with some model/actress/whatever while chugging booze straight out of the bottle before passing out and being carried out to the limo. Some will applaud, some will laugh and many of us will be dissappointed.  Whatever. Call it old-fashioned but right now I want to have a schoolgirl crush on the cool boy next door who’s an American hero who doesn’t know this girl is alive. Go USA!

I’m taking a deep breath today because the next week is going to be a tornado! My new yoga practice should help. (Okay, I just started this week so I don’t deserve to say practice yet, but I know I’m hooked because I moved an appointment to be able to get in another class today!)

Okay, the tornado. First Farmer’s Market tomorrow with my friend who’s got a friend coming into to visit from out-of-town.  Then we’re going back to her place to cook a meal out of the cool stuff we pick up. Then I have to run home and spruce up the place (okay, at this point I confess I’m a decorating nightmare so the best I can do is keep the place clean and try to get a handle on the clutter.) because my brothers- from- another- mother are coming into town Saturday night. Luckily I meet them on Sunday at the Giants game. Back to work Monday then afterwards sighteeing and tourist stuff with the bros and Tuesday more work then winetasting. I wave good-bye to them and say “Hello Saddlerack!” . I had such a blast the last time I was there that I can’t wait ’til the “Ladies Room” on Wednesday!

Thursday’s gonna be a marathon! Work, then our “Office of the Week” lunch and my first night at Maxwell’s in Oakland. By this time I’ll be a little punchy so I should be hilarious (at least hope the audience thinks so!) and then Al flies back into town on Friday. I’m really gonna have to pace myself or our quality time will be spent napping. BTW: I’m not complaining about being busy it’s my favorite way to be. Challenging schedules get me hyped so watch out week…here I come! Hope you have lots of fun stuff lined up too! Enjoy it.

I had my second Yoga class yesterday (Yea Me for having the courage for round two!) and today it’s official, I’m a pretzel. I will say that second class was easier than the first if for no other reason than I pretty much knew what to expect. (The first class was total shock.) A class is much different than a video or DVD I’m finding out.  At home I don’t feel any pressure to be fluid with my movements or to push myself into the harder poses. In class you decide something is too hard , you look next to you and someone else doing is doing it  and next thing you know, like a lemming you are right behind them trying it too! For the most part this is good because it pushes you to go beyond what you thought you could do which is how we grow. On the otherhand some of us (okay me this time) can get too competitive and end up in a pose they can’t get out of. ( I had to rock myself out like a truck stuck in the mud! Look there was no way I was going to admit defeat and ask someone to pull me out unless ligaments were tearing, I have my pride!). All in all I am enjoying the challenge and it makes me feel great. Heck it was something I always wanted to try after reading interviews with all these celebrities extolling it’s virtues. I don’t know if my body will end up looking like Madonna’s or if I’ll be able to have sex for days on end like Sting but if I can be calmer and lose a little gut I’ll mark it as a win.

It’s been awhile since I’ve written but that’s because I haven’t had much to say. However, in the course of living my life a couple of things have come up.

I went to a slammin’ house party over the weekend! It was one of those that was so good you stayed to the bitter end and then some and were still reluctant to leave. So good you leave asking when’s the next one? Well I’ve gone to a few of this person’s parties this year and each one has been better than the last. I actually started thinking about it and here are some tips that I think are universal for a good party (BTW : these are not in order of importance): 1. An adequate supply of food and beverages. It’s obvious why you don’t want to have too little but you don’t want to have too much either. Nobody likes wasting food and by “running out of drinks” at the appropriate time your party can end at a decent hour without your guests leaving your house and ending up in “the big house” on a DUI charge. I say this because I notice that when the alcohol stops flowing people tend to slow down from a “roar” to a “chatter” and then ease off into the night.  2. Ambiance. This can be through a theme and decorations or just lighting and seating. Dim lights are great, (no one wants to feel like they’re being interrogated ) but not so dark I can’t recognize you on the street. Hey what’s the point of meeting new people if you can’t pick them out of a lineup later? 3. The guest list. The perfect party guest list includes enough people that know each other so that they feel comfortable enough to let loose a little, enough people that don’t know each other to make things interesting and one suprise guest. The surprise guest is just that, someone you did not expect to be there. It can be a friend you and some of your guests haven’t seen in awhile, a celebrity (who knew you knew Brad and Angie?) or a fun friend who said no then shows up unexpectedly. The purpose of the surprise guest? They re-energize the gathering and take it to the next level and give people a reason to tell others how great it was the next day ”you’ll never guess who showed up last night!” A word about the surprise guest…it will also work if it’s someone negative (ie: someone’s ex, mistress etc) but it’s not a move for the faint of heart, you may end up with more action than you bargained for. Anyway, mix these three and in my opinion you have the recipe for a successful soiree.

The second thing I wanted to mention is that after months of wanting to, I finally made it to a yoga class. Ouch! I have never sweat so much standing, sitting and laying around. Probably because I have never spent so much time standing on one foot, sitting without a chair and laying on one side and looking in the opposite direction. I am feeling muscles I did not know I have but I like it and plan to try it again. Madonna-arms here I come!

I have a friend named Joe. He’s an attorney and a damned good one. He’s got a beautiful, wife and a wonderful son. They live in a breathtaking house and I could go on and on counting Joe’s blessings. However, as a friend I’d say Joe’s biggest blessing is a good heart. He likes to help and encourage people. I would go so far as to say that the other blessings I’ve mentioned Joe having are somehow a result of his amazing heart.

 Joe and I met on his birthday a few years ago. I was the date of a guest at his birthday party. Now this party happened to be a “golf tournament” with various friends and family drawing straws to make foursomes and heading off for 18-holes of fun. This was not exactly what I signed on for. At the time I had never played 18-holes of golf in my life and now I was being asked to play in front of a course full of strangers. Add to that the fact my straw put me in Joe’s foursome. All I’m thinking at this point is how do I get out of this? I’m gonna ruin this guy’s birthday, slow down the game, embarass myself and the friend that invited me. I tried to trade places but Joe wouldn’t have it.  I could give you every detail about this story but suffice it to say that not only was Joe a patient and gracious host. He gave me a love for golf that endures to this day. He encouraged me when he could have ridiculed me and was my biggest cheerleader when I was able to incorporate his instruction and get anything close to a positive result.  Not may people would use their birthday golf tourney to help some newbie stranger learn the game.  Near the end of the course Joe took me aside to help me work on a particularly difficult maneuver.  There was no way I was going to get this shot but he wanted me to know the proper technique. I started gushing about how I’m sorry I didn’t play better and thank-you for the instruction and I hope I didn’t ruin your special day…etc. Joe laughed and told me to take a deep breath and look around. He said ” this is a snapshot day, a day you take a picture of in your mind and remember everything about it, where you were how you felt… I love playing golf and I love being able to share that. This is a day I will remember forever.”

It was a snapshot day for me too.  I’ve had a few snapshot days since then and I still thank Joe for pointing out the concept to me. This past weekend was Al’s birthday. I rented a Harley touring bike with all the bells and whistles to surprise him. Truthfully that present was just as much for me as for him. Riding is something we both love, it’s this love that brought us together. Anytime I can spend on a bike especially with Al is the best time ever. It’s a snapshot day. Any time I can spend with Al I feel like I’m living a charmed life. Having him around makes colors brighter and food taste better.  Al left yesterday and I was so sad at the thought I could barely enjoy the time we had left together. So many times we can’t appreciate what we have because we are agonizing over what we don’t.

I bring this up because when I got to work today I found out that Randy Pausch had died. He’s the Carnegie Mellon professor that was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and gave a “last lecture” that became a You Tube sensation, then wrote a book on it and landed on Oprah. If you haven’t I would reccomend that you find his lecture on you Tube and watch it. It’s inspiring. It reminds us to take joy in what we have and what we can do for others with the time that we have.

I’m guilty of forgetting how good my life is. I’m going home to look through some of my “snapshots” today and remind myself to appreciate what I’ve had, take joy in what I have and to keep hope alive for the future. If you’re like me I reccomend you do the same. Chances are we’ll both wake up the better for it tomorrow and use that better part of ourselves to inspire others to be better too.

That’s what this has been so far. I LOVE Aisha Tyler! She is everything I ever wanted to be: Smart, Funny, Tall and Gorgeous.  (Hey it’s not a total wash, I figure I got two out of four!) If you missed her interview this morning, check it out on the podcast at movin997.com. Her comments about Flava Flav are priceless!

Mike Epps dropped by sporting a brand new look….freshly cropped hair..Tasty! He was in great spirits talking about his new projects. I love when he’s on too because he always listens to the show on his way to the station so he busted us on our Flava Flav - Obama conversation. He’ll be at Cobbs Comedy Club all weekend for tickets and show times hit up cobbscomedy.com

Finally, Charlie Murphy stopped by. He looked like a dime and was in a great place. I could feel that in his energy. He said it was because he had fruit for breakfast ( now that could be part of it but I ate a giant nectarine this morning and my spirit wasn’t as light as his.)  I’ve met him on a few occasions over the years and I’d have to say this is the happiest I’ve seen him. The first time I met him, oh about five years back during the run of the Dave Chappelle show, he seemed angry and a bit dark. I don’t know why but that was my perception. Since moving here we’ve had him on twice and in my opinion he’s a lighter, happier person. This brother sure knows how to bling! If the studio had metal detectors you would’ve heard them all go off this morning.

I’m excited about making my first trip to the Gilroy Garlic Festival. I’ve heard all types of mixed reviews including “you’ve got to try the Garlic Ice Cream!” I don’t know about that, I think I’ll stick to the fries.   Hopefully I’ll see you out there, otherwise whatever you do have fun!

What up y’all? Interesting things came up on the show today. First the whole pre-nup conversation. The question: Pre-nups, yes or no? The overwhelming response was “Yes!” Those that did disagree used the argument that you are expecting your marriage to fail and that it’s the wrong mindset to use when entering into a marriage. Baltazar is against them and his reasoning is that he believes in romance and love being the reason for marriage and pre-nups  go against that.

My take: first I go either way about marriage. I’ve never been married and don’t feel it’s necessary for a committed loving relationship to exist. The exception for me would be if I chose to have children with someone. This does not mean I’m against marriage, I’m just more about the relationship than the party and papers that celebrate it. That being said I think our attitude (and by our I mean Americans) about marriage is a bit naive.  We like to think we will honor and live out those vows but the truth of the matter is only about half of us do. You would be hard pressed to find anyone on their wedding day with the flush of love in their cheeks, sparkle of love in their eyes breathlessly repeating their vows in front of God, State and everyone of their closest relatives and friends to even entertain the thought they won’t feel this way forever but the the reality is: half of them won’t.

Of that half, some will be mature and split things fairly and move on, others depending on why they are splitting will have the knock down drag out fight of their lives on their hands. We all like to think that the people we choose to be in a relationship with are incapable of hurting or betraying us on purpose but that happens when we are just dating  and most of us didn’t see it coming.  Add some assets to the mix and you are asking for trouble.

I’m not saying every couple needs a pre-nup. If you are on equal footing (close in age, accomplishments and finances) it’s probably not necessary but if one of you is significantly older, or wealthier or more accomplished in life, I would at least consider it. For those of you who say it’s predicting the marriage will fail or taking the love and romance out of things let me remind you that marriage is a legally binding contract already. You have to sign a license in order to do it and get divorced in order to legally be un-married so the government already knows there is a chance things will go south otherwise we would be married without the government’s involvement. That being said, I don’t see anything wrong with going one step further and letting me and my husband to-be decide on the allocation of our assets should our marriage fail rather than letting the government do it.

Now to the issue of “manscaping”, most callers said it’s a “Do” and that’s men and women. I’m fine if you do fine if you don’t but a bit of trimming would be preferred. However, the only bald areas I want to see on a man are above the waist and if you’re going to make me “rumble in the jungle” you better use some conditioner and a comb there Tarzan or no safari!

I haven’t blogged for awhile because I haven’t had anything I really wanted to write about and I’m generally not a person to do something just to do it, or I’m just lazy. Actually it really is the first but when I say that it sounds like the second.

I’ve been traveling a bit lately so I have some observations.  1. The best “middle” ( the person sitting between the people in the aisle and window seats) to have on a plane is no middle. Unless you’re madly in love or at least in like with the person next to you it’s weird at best and if you are sandwiched between two strangers it just plain sucks. You can’t lean so it’s hard to sleep and your fighting for an armrest the whole time. I once had to sit “middle” on the very back row on a coast-to-coast daytime flight. 6 1/2 hours of torture!

2. I am not a fan of all the post 9/11 carry-on restrictions ( the whole striptease to get through the checkpoint is annoying) but I must say that it has made for more uniformity as far as the luggage is concerned. I remember in years past seeing people carry-on everything from carnival midway sized stuffed animals to table leafs, boom boxes and potato chips and stash them in the overhead compartment.

3. Is it me or are more flights late these days? The past two weeks I have taken the same flight back to San Francisco and both times it’s been close to two hours late. No big deal but it was the last flight out so when all was said and done I finally crawled into bed at 1:30 this morning only to have my alarm clock go off two hours later at 3:30 am. Ugh!

Finally, ladies thanks for calling in on the “Hairanoia” Ladies Room. Special thanks to Angela Gardner who e-mailed with some curly hair product reccomendations. I placed an order today and will product test these myself. If I agree with Angela, I’ll post the link on the blog.  Angela says she surfs and swims and these products keep her hair nice despite the salt and chlorine. She also reccomends the Medusa Salon in San Francisco which she reports specializes in curly hair. I haven’t tried the salon so if you do, make sure you ask about any concerns. That’s it, have a fabulous hair day!